SGT Jul 18, 2012 PEOPLE 2012 Olympic Profile: Daniel Caluag ARTICLE COMMENTS (10) LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC PROFILES OLYMPICS PHILIPPINES smaller Larger facebook twitter google plus linked in EmailPrint By JOSEPHINE CUNETA With the London Olympics fast upon us, SEA Real Time introduces the athletes who will represent the region at the 2012 Summer Games. Come back for our weekly profiles of the Olympians. Smart Communications, Inc. Daniel Caluag, a Filipino-American BMX rider, is the only Asian to qualify for the Olympic cycling event. Daniel Caluag Events: BMX bicycle motocross Born: January 15, 1987 Career Filipino-American BMX rider Daniel Caluag, 25, is the only Asian to make it into the BMX event of Olympic cycling and is aiming to excel on the 450-meter track, where eight riders try to outdo each other in a one-lap sprint. At the culmination of recent world championships, he ranked no. 24 in a field of 32 qualifiers. The BMX bicycle motocross event was introduced in the Olympic calendar in Beijing in 2008. The schedule of the competition from August 8 to 10 will include quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds. In each round, eight cyclists are engaged in an all-out-battle, starting off with a ride down an eight-meter-high ramp after which they negotiate a dirt circuit with jumps and banked circuits. The quarterfinal and semifinals consist of three runs with the cumulative times determining which riders advance. The finals gather the top eight cyclists in a single-lap showdown. Caluag was born in California. His father is a respiratory therapist from Bulacan in the Philippines who migrated to Guam at an early age and then relocated to California. His mother is from Nueva Ecija and settled in California in the 1980s. Caluag, who also is currently a nursing student in Kentucky, said he learned about the sport after his father taught him how to ride a bike, and he started going to a local BMX track with a neighbor. “I was nine years old. We had BMX bikes and were looking to have some fun on some jumps,” he recalled. Once at the tracks, he said, he just “watched people and tried to attempt the same thing.” As Caluag got older – and better at the sport – he began competing in major U.S. competitions and dreamed of making it onto the U.S. Olympic team. But despite winning his first professional titles in 2007 and ranking no. 9 in U.S. elite standings, he failed to qualify. So he shifted his sights to the Philippines, and was able to earn enough ranking points in three tough qualifying tournaments, including the UCI BMX World Championships in Birmingham, U.K., to merit a spot on the national team. Philippine Olympic team chief of mission Manuel Lopez believes Caluag is medal-capable. “We know (Caluag) will be a big asset to our small group,” said Lopez, noting that Caluag is the only Asian to qualify in the event. Backing him up is his coach, Jason Richardson, a former BMX champion; his wife, Stephanie Barragan, a BMX champion herself; and his father, Daniel. Given that he’s unable to use U.S. national training facilities, since he’s representing the Philippines, Caluag moved his training to the Netherlands, where he’s also participating in races, with a last leg of pre-Games preparations in Canada. The Olympic format is different from some other championships in that it has no time trials, and has a limited number of entries. Caluag thinks the format works in his favor, as does his limited race schedule compared to other cyclists, some of whom have been worn by a more aggressive – and grueling – schedule of competitive races. Height and weight don’t make a difference in BMX – “it’s all about strength to weight ratio,” said Caluag, whose idols are Bruce Lee and Lance Armstrong for their ability to battle through adversity. “The stronger you are and the lighter you are, the faster you go. BMX is not a sport of timing. It’s a sport of tactics and all-out speed. Eight riders on the track and the fastest wins. BMX is about getting the best gates and going as fast as you can and holding your momentum through the course of the track.” “I understand what it takes to win an event,” he added. “I am looking forward in representing the Philippines and bringing back a medal for the people.” Memorable quote “Nothing is better than riding down the street and feeling the wind blow across your face and the desire to want to just go faster.”
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 03:38:39 +0000
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